Obafemi Martins facts for kids
Martins with Levante in 2012
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Obafemi Akinwunmi Martins | ||
| Date of birth | 28 October 1984 | ||
| Place of birth | Lagos, Nigeria | ||
| Height | 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Forward | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1999–2000 | Ebedei | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2000–2001 | Reggiana | 2 | (0) |
| 2001–2006 | Inter Milan | 88 | (28) |
| 2006–2009 | Newcastle United | 88 | (28) |
| 2009–2010 | VfL Wolfsburg | 16 | (6) |
| 2010–2012 | Rubin Kazan | 20 | (3) |
| 2011 | → Birmingham City (loan) | 4 | (0) |
| 2012–2013 | Levante | 21 | (7) |
| 2013–2015 | Seattle Sounders FC | 72 | (40) |
| 2016–2018 | Shanghai Shenhua | 40 | (19) |
| 2020 | Shanghai Shenhua | 4 | (0) |
| 2020 | Wuhan | 6 | (1) |
| Total | 361 | (132) | |
| International career | |||
| 2004–2015 | Nigeria | 42 | (18) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Obafemi Akinwunmi Martins (born October 28, 1984) is a famous Nigerian former footballer. He was known for playing as a forward, which means he was usually at the front of the team, trying to score goals.
Martins left Nigeria for Italy when he was 16. He played for many top teams across Europe. He started his professional career in 2002 with Serie A club Inter Milan. Later, he moved to Premier League club Newcastle United in 2006. In 2009, he joined Bundesliga club VfL Wolfsburg.
In July 2010, Martins joined Russian Premier League team Rubin Kazan. They later loaned him to Birmingham City in January 2011. He also played for La Liga club Levante for a season. From 2013 to 2015, he played for Seattle Sounders FC in Major League Soccer, scoring 40 goals. After that, he spent several years in China with Shanghai Shenhua and Wuhan.
During his time in club football, Martins won several trophies. He won the Serie A title, the Italian Cup (twice), and the Italian Super Cup with Inter Milan. With Birmingham City, he scored the winning goal in the 2011 Football League Cup Final. He also played in European competitions with Inter, Newcastle, and Wolfsburg. He won the UEFA Intertoto Cup with Newcastle.
Martins had some of his best scoring seasons when he scored 11 goals in the 2004–05 Serie A and 17 goals in both the 2006–07 Premier League and 2014 MLS. For his country, Martins played for Nigeria in the Africa Cup of Nations in 2006, 2008, and 2010. He also played in the FIFA World Cup in 2010.
Contents
Martins' Football Journey
Starting Out in Nigeria
Obafemi Martins began his football journey at a local club called F.C. Ebedei. A manager named Churchill Oliseh discovered him playing football on the streets of his hometown. After spending a year with Ebedei, a team from Italy, A.C. Reggiana, became interested in him.
In 2000, after a three-month trial, Martins and his teammate Stephen Makinwa signed youth contracts with Reggiana. In his first season in Italy, Martins quickly moved up to the main team. Soon after, bigger clubs like Perugia and Inter Milan from Serie A wanted to sign him.
Playing for Inter Milan
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Inter Milan signed Martins in 2001 for about €750,000. In his first year with their youth team, he scored 23 goals. This helped them win the Campionato Nazionale Primavera in the 2001–02 season. Because he played so well for the youth team, he got to play his first league game for the main team. This was on December 22, 2002, against Parma, a game Inter won 2–1.
Martins became a regular player for Inter Milan in the 2002–03 season. His manager, Héctor Cúper, gave him his first chance to play in the UEFA Champions League. He came on as a substitute against Newcastle United, a team he would later join. Martins scored his first Champions League goal against Bayer 04 Leverkusen, which helped Inter reach the quarter-finals. His famous somersault celebrations after scoring were even used in UEFA advertisements! He also scored in the semi-final against Inter's rivals, Milan, but Inter lost that match.
In 2005, Martins signed a long-term contract with Inter Milan that would last until 2010. He also played a big part in Inter winning the Coppa Italia. He scored six goals in that competition, including three goals in one game against Bologna. Martins scored 22 goals in 45 games that season, which was his best record yet. His great performance helped him get a spot in Nigeria's team for the 2006 Africa Cup of Nations.
Even though he was successful at Inter, scoring 28 goals in 88 league games, he was sold in August 2006. This happened because Inter brought in two new strikers, Hernán Crespo and Zlatan Ibrahimović.
Time at Newcastle United
On August 24, 2006, Premier League club Newcastle United bought Martins from Inter for €15 million. He signed a five-year contract and was given the famous number 9 shirt, which was previously worn by club legend Alan Shearer.
Martins played his first Premier League game on August 27, but he had to leave the field early due to a knee injury. His first few games for Newcastle were not very remarkable. However, on September 17, Martins scored his first goal for Newcastle against West Ham United. After that, he started scoring more regularly.
In January 2007, there were rumors that Chelsea wanted to buy Martins because he was playing so well. But Martins said he wanted to stay at Newcastle. On January 14, he scored a powerful goal from 20 yards against Tottenham Hotspur. This shot was so fast, it was unofficially one of the hardest shots ever recorded in football! Martins finished his first season with Newcastle with 17 goals in 46 games.
His second season was a bit different. The new manager, Sam Allardyce, often played other strikers, so Martins was used more as a substitute. Despite this, he still scored goals. When Kevin Keegan became manager, Martins played more often alongside Michael Owen and Mark Viduka. He scored fewer goals that season, partly because he was not the main focus of the team's attacks and also because he played in the African Cup of Nations for Nigeria.
In the 2008–09 season, Martins scored six goals in 12 league games before a hamstring injury kept him out. He had surgery in Germany in January 2009. He returned for the last two games of the season, even scoring in a big match against Middlesbrough. However, Newcastle was relegated to the Championship league. Martins initially wanted to stay and help the team get back to the Premier League, but he eventually left for VfL Wolfsburg.
During his three years at Newcastle, Martins scored 35 goals in 104 games.
Moving to Germany and Russia
On July 29, 2009, Newcastle accepted a £9 million offer from Bundesliga champions VfL Wolfsburg. Martins signed a four-year contract with them. In his first game for Wolfsburg, he came on as a substitute and scored a great goal, dribbling past defenders and calmly finishing.
On July 9, 2010, Martins was sold to Russian Premier League champions Rubin Kazan for about €17 million. He signed a three-year contract. Martins said he was excited to join a team of champions and hoped to help them become even better. On May 9, 2012, Rubin Kazan won the Russian Cup, which was Martins' first trophy in Russia.
Loan to Birmingham City
In January 2011, Martins asked to move to England to be closer to his family. He joined Birmingham City on loan until the end of the season. He made his debut on February 12 against Stoke City, helping Birmingham win 1–0. He scored his first goal for the club in an FA Cup game against Sheffield Wednesday.
Martins scored the winning goal in the 2011 Football League Cup Final! Birmingham beat Arsenal 2–1 at Wembley Stadium. Martins came on as a substitute in the 83rd minute. With only one minute left, there was a mix-up between Arsenal's goalkeeper and a defender. Martins took advantage of the loose ball and easily scored into an empty net. He called it "the easiest goal I've ever scored in my career." After two more league games, he got an injury that needed surgery, keeping him out for several months.
Playing in Spain and USA
On September 13, 2012, Martins joined Levante in Spain on a free transfer, signing a two-year contract. He scored his first goal for them, which was also the winning goal, in a 2–1 home win against Real Sociedad on September 23. On October 28, Martins scored two goals for Levante in their 3–1 win over Granada, helping his team reach fourth place in the La Liga standings.
On March 11, 2013, it was announced that Martins signed with MLS club Seattle Sounders FC in the United States. He joined as a Designated Player, which means he was a high-paid star player. The club paid about $4 million to buy out his contract with Levante. Martins scored his first goal for Seattle on April 20, 2013, and celebrated with his famous back-flip!
On October 24, 2014, Martins signed a new three-year contract with Seattle, almost doubling his salary to over $3 million a year. The next day, he helped Seattle win the Supporters' Shield by assisting a goal. Martins finished the regular season with 17 goals, a club record, and 13 assists, which was also a club record.
Martins had a very successful 2014 season with the Sounders. He was named one of the top three players for the MLS MVP. He was also chosen for the MLS Best XI, which is a team of the best players in the league. The Sounders won every game in which he scored. He also won the MLS Goal of the Year for an amazing looping goal he shot from a very difficult angle.
Playing in China
On February 18, 2016, Martins joined Chinese Super League team Shanghai Shenhua. On May 15, 2016, he scored his first goal for Shanghai in a 5–1 win. Martins scored the only goal in the first game of the 2017 Chinese FA Cup final and a spectacular goal in the second game. Shanghai Shenhua won the trophy because they scored more away goals.
On March 31, 2018, Martins scored his first three goals in one game (a hat-trick) for Shenhua in a 4–2 home win. However, he got a serious knee injury in April 2018, which meant he couldn't play for at least six months. On June 1, 2018, it was announced that Martins had left Shenhua.
He had another hamstring injury in May 2019. In November 2019, he said he was looking for a new club after recovering from his injury.
Return to Shanghai and Wuhan
On July 15, 2020, Martins returned to Chinese Super League team Shanghai Shenhua. Later that year, on September 20, 2020, after his contract with Shanghai Shenhua ended, Martins joined another Chinese Super League club, Wuhan Zall, for a short time until the end of the season.
Playing for Nigeria
Martins first played for Nigeria in 2004 when he was 19 years old. He scored his second goal in the Unity Cup tournament in London. He was part of the Nigerian team that finished third in the 2006 African Cup of Nations. Martins scored two goals in that competition, both against Senegal.
There were some confusing moments about his age in 2006. The Nigerian FA website mistakenly listed his birth date as May 1, 1978, which would have made him 28 instead of 21. The FA quickly said it was a mistake and apologized. Martins was upset because this confusion almost stopped his move to Newcastle. He even threatened to stop playing for the national team.
On February 6, 2007, Martins did not show up for a friendly game against Ghana, even though he was told to play. He later explained that he went to Lagos to visit his sick mother. The Nigerian coach was very angry and threatened to ban him. On February 14, 2007, Martins apologized and said his mother's health was more important. He also said he would always be ready to play for Nigeria in the future. He returned to the team on March 24, 2007, playing a full game against Uganda.
On November 17, 2007, Martins was the captain for Nigeria for the first time in a friendly game against Australia. On November 12, 2009, he scored an amazing goal against Kenya in Nairobi. This goal helped Nigeria qualify for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. At the World Cup in South Africa, Martins played in only two games for a total of 71 minutes and did not score. Nigeria finished last in their group and left the tournament early.
How Martins Played
Obafemi Martins was a fast, small, and quick left-footed striker. He was known for his amazing speed, quick movements, and athletic skills. He also had a powerful shot and was strong, even though he wasn't very tall. He was also famous for his exciting acrobatic celebrations, especially his backflips, after scoring a goal!
Martins' Family Life
Martins had two brothers who also played football professionally. His older brother, Oladipupo Martins, was a professional footballer but stopped playing in 2009 due to heart problems. He sadly passed away on August 8, 2011, in Lagos, Nigeria. Martins' younger brother is John Ronan Martins. The name "Obafemi" means "the king loves me" in the Yoruba language.
In 2015, Martins received his U.S. green card. This meant he was considered a local player for MLS teams. He is married to Abigail Barwuah, who is the sister of famous footballer Mario Balotelli. They have one child, born in 2013. His older son, Kevin Martins (born in 2005), is also following in his father's footsteps and has played for Italy's youth national team.
Career Achievements
Inter Milan
- Serie A: 2005–06
- Coppa Italia: 2004–05, 2005–06
- Supercoppa Italiana: 2005
Newcastle United
- UEFA Intertoto Cup: 2006
Birmingham City
- Football League Cup: 2010–11
Rubin Kazan
- Russian Cup: 2011–12
- Russian Super Cup: 2012
Seattle Sounders FC
- MLS Supporters' Shield: 2014
- U.S. Open Cup: 2014
Shanghai Shenhua
- Chinese FA Cup: 2017
Nigeria
- Africa Cup of Nations third place: 2006
Individual Awards
- CAF Most Promising Talent of the Year: 2003, 2004
- MLS Best XI: 2014
- MLS Goal of the Year: 2014
- MLS All-Star: 2015
- Chinese FA Cup: Top Goalscorer: 2017
Images for kids
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Martins with Levante in 2012
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Martins (right) with Inter Milan in 2005
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Martins warming up before a match
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Martins with Newcastle teammate Nicky Butt in 2007
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Martins at a pre-season training camp with Newcastle in 2007
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Martins celebrating after the 2011 Football League Cup Final
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Martins (pictured with Levante in 2012) is known for celebrating a goal with a backflip
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Martins at Seattle Tacoma International Airport upon arrival to Seattle Sounders FC in 2013
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Martins in action for Seattle in 2014
See also
In Spanish: Obafemi Martins para niños
